Tickets to the Dance

There are 327 teams in Division I college basketball, and each one begins every basketball season with one dream -- winning the national championship. But before these teams can win the championship, they must make the field of teams that are invited to the tournament. Sixty-five men's teams and 64 women's teams are granted invitations.

Teams for both the men's and women's tournament are chosen by a selection committee, which is comprised of select university athletic directors and conference commissioners. Each tournament has its own committee. The selection committee meets between the Thursday and Sunday prior to the date selected for the tournament's first game. Its job is to filter out the teams deserving of an invitation. The decisions are announced on television during Selection Sunday.

There are 31 teams that get an automatic invite to the tournament, which is their reward for winning their respective conferences. Thirty of these teams win their tournament through conference tournaments. The Ivy League does not hold a tournament.

The remaining invites, 34 for men and 33 for women, are left in the hands of the selection committee. Of the teams left in the pool, there are certain teams that are assured a spot in the tournament, teams that don't make the cut, and then there is a third group of teams, called "bubble" teams, that could go either way.